Jimmie and Junior: Still headed in different directions

Hendrick teammates have different records, levels of popularity

August 05, 2011|By Keith Groller, Tribune Newspapers

LONG POND, Pa. — NASCAR's most popular driver and its most successful sat side-by-side Friday on the podium in the Pocono Raceway media center.

Hendrick Motorsports teammates Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jimmie Johnson shared a news conference in preparation for Sunday's Good Sam RV Insurance 500, and about the only thing they had in common was driving for Hendrick.

Johnson is the five-time Sprint Cup champion and well-positioned for a sixth straight crown. He's second in the points standings behind Carl Edwards.

Earnhardt, meanwhile, hasn't won a race in more than three years and is teetering on the bubble of "The Race for the Chase" in 10th position. At this point, Earnhardt winning a race — he has gone 113 without a checkered flag — would be a surprise, much less him contending for the Cup title.

Johnson is smooth, polished, well-versed in answering media questions, while Earnhardt, though pleasant and forthright, still reminds you of the kid pumping gas at the local mini-market.

They would seem to be NASCAR's Odd Couple, and their legacies are as different as their personalities.

Johnson is the machine that can't seem to lose and seems as popular with NASCAR's hard-core fans as a ban on beer and cigarettes would be.

Earnhardt still has the fan base's undying affection, mostly out of respect to his father. Walk around the grounds at Pocono and you'll see more No. 88 and Earnhardt garb than the rest of the drivers combined.

But rooting for Junior has become as much a test of patience as it is an expression of loyalty. Some have suggested if he didn't have the same name as his legendary father, Earnhardt would generate the same sizzle as A.J. Allmendinger.

While a Johnson victory Sunday would garner a yawn, seeing Earnhardt in Victory Lane would spawn a party that would last all the way from Long Pond to Watkins Glen, N.Y., site of the next race.

"We want to win races and we need to be fast," Johnson said when asked about the final six races before the Chase. "Looking at it from the No. 88 side, they need to win to build more security of being in the Chase, and from the No. 48 side (Johnson's), it's what we need to do to be ready for a championship.

"Looking at the top, no one has been able to stay consistent and run away. (Edwards) broke away a little bit, but I think this championship is anyone's championship."